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Adobe has a new series of awesome video commercials that make you want to watch - and learn - about the features of their Marketing Cloud. This is the state of "advertising" at it's best ... a parody of a parody... ironic irony.

As you watch my favorite spot below, think about how your customers are as cool as James "Hunter" Bond ... they've done everything right... but once again, omnichannel marketing has let them down. Just look at the expression on the face of this frustrated customer #007.This nails the problems and positions adobe as a solution.

Why is the nicest Boston smartypants you'll ever meet David Chang slumming it with the Feelter platform (for Social wisdom on products)... ?Because the right tech means they are taking out the middleman.Feelter uses new tech to bring only relevant social conversation to you... so they are not just axing the middleman... they are actually asking.David recently described a few really interesting reasons why he is taking this gig out of so many opportunities. Mostly because "the truth sells."

Key tech excerpt:2. Unique technology. The platform has some special sauce in the way it combines natural language processing techniques with a comprehensive content analysis for each social mention. The outcome, a deep-learning algorithm, is the first engine to determine the relevancy of social content to a consumer’s decision making process. It understands not only the sentiment of the social conversation regarding products, but which parts of it actually drive people to take actionFeelter delivers buyers directly to relevant trusted reviews... and sellers get to be at the right place at the right time

Ted Reed is at it again! My Emmy Award winning friend has a new broadcast TV and Internet program that will be both important and fun."So You Want to Work in Tech" will cover all the innovative tech activities in Boston and beyond... so you know where you can get involved ... and know where the future is already here disrupting your industry!I am on his Digital Strategy team. And that's Erika Ebbel Angle from Scientists for Science and iRobot fame.We will look behind the scenes of tech companies across the region and hear from people in specific job titles about how to get hired and succeed.

Our mission is to help build America (!) by supporting economic development in the Global Internet Economy. Plenty of tech jobs are available so let's get the right people in the right seats. And these are the best seats - growing fast, clean and sustainable, plus they can easily expand internationally.

As I am always looking for industries that have a need AND a want for Digital strategy and software solutions (such as mobile presence with apps and connected devices),the current opportunities are in Hospitality, Healthcare, Entertainment & Recreation, and Real Estate.

Click to enlarge this Mckinsey chart for an industry breakdown. Look for low Digital use and high productivity growth.

Digitization. The US economy is rapidly digitizing, but its progress is highly uneven. Focusing on the gap between lagging sectors and those on the digital frontier is a key part of the productivity puzzle. Government can play a role by promoting digital investment, digitizing public services and procurement, clarifying regulatory standards to encourage digital innovation, and taking a nimble and experimental regulatory approach to keep pace with technological change.

Bringing these initiatives to fruition requires investing in the future. But that is not to say that the only answer is trillions of new taxpayer dollars. Some of these policy actions are simply about creating opportunities, modernizing rules, convening, and matchmaking. In addition, there is a great deal of private capital on the sidelines, and investors are hungry for opportunities. Some businesses are already working with federal and local administrators in areas ranging from workforce training to urban redevelopment. With so many technology breakthroughs and new markets on the horizon, the United States does not have to settle for stagnation. ..

How can we (you included) help the most people efficiently? We have been focusing on the employee workforce... they are accessible and eager. We are having success with several HR Tech solution. The Cooleaf platform is one of our favorites for 2 reasons - they have the right tech (new nimble platform including Mobile) and the right attitude (great people that are wise enough to care and young enough to apply the best new media). Because "Employee engagement" is a real problem and is the solution to most of your company's goals.The Cooleaf process is designed to let companies acknowledge that "people are more productive and committed to the activities they're engaged in when motivated by personal interest and satisfaction rather than external factors like compensation." ... In short. how to get your staff to give a damn!Here is an overview:The above slide deck nails what Fast Company proclaims, "OFTEN OVERLOOKED IN FAVOR OF MONEY OR EXTERNAL REWARDS,INTRINSIC MOTIVATION IS CRITICAL TO OUR CAREER SATISFACTION AND PRODUCTIVITY"FYI, Altimeter has a must-read article on how to make HR a strategic asset in the Digital Era. They also introduce a really cool and relevant new concept for communication across the "Experience Cloud."

When you are focusing on your Strategic Sweet Spot - that's the best stuff you provide your clients that competitors do not... think about the gaps in your resources to fulfill on your promises today AND as user experiences and expectations evolve. Because, as you know, "evolve" is an understatement!Keeping up is impossible. The answer?... Get help from trusted specialists in the below priorities.As you can see in this eMarketer/SODA survey, you are not alone needing User Experience guidance for your Digital, Mobile, Connected Devices, etc. So, consider filling the gap in your executive management (see McKinsey image and article below) with specialists that honor where your business is ... and needs to go.

Here are notes from my recent presentation at the Mobile Marketing Association about brands being obsessed with advertising on Mobile and not building customer relationships on it.

It's really easy to buy ads on Google and Facebook. You can even do it automatically with Programmatic services.

Then... Advertising and media promotions let you reach as many people as your budgets allow...

But ... you are just renting relationships thru publishers and Social Networks.

HERE IS THE QUESTION - Do you want to have ongoing relationships with your customers that includes frequent interactions while learning personal preferences that allow you to provide exponential value during AND in-between their purchases?

So... Deep-tech development at the code level is the best way to build better customized customer service methods (not dependent on the Social Network platforms) ... for real relationships thru frequent exponentially valuable interactions... optimizing at every touchpoint.
This includes custom mobile apps and all the other “connected devices” accessed during the user's day across multiple mesh networks... From the Alexa Echo in the kitchen during breakfast - with the car or throughout the commute - entering locations - logging in at work - team collaborations - customer presentations - restaurants - shopping - back home - "hello Alexa, read me my final list that I accumulated today... What do I have to do tomorrow? And who is on Colbert tonight?"Remember, you cannot provide this (expected!) level of customer service through a Responsive Website limited to their smartphone's browser.

The result is a solution for real 2-way one-to-one loyal relationships integrated with any current corporate systems - marcom, commerce, supply chain, employee engagement, innovation labs! Now you can fulfill on the marketer's promise to listen and learn personal preferences ... and deliver ONLY relevant value with the right content at the right time and the right place.Point... Use a mobile device responsive web site to reach the masses. Build a custom app experience to service your customers.

But you are probably only using about 10% of the capabilities of the smartphone with your mobile marketing.

Because... when a customer goes to your site thru a browser on their phone, they are NOT able to easily benefit from the amazing smartphone functions and sensors.

A "Responsive Site" is great for building a bigger audience because of easy access from any phone's browser. But the depth of interaction and range of value can only come thru a "Native App" custom designed for the smartphone...

Here is a real question: Do you want to have ongoing relationships with your customers that includes frequent interactions that learns personal preferences to provide exponential value during AND in-between their purchases? If yes, then . . .

According to Julie Ask, ‎vice president at Forrester Research, mobility represents the third stage of mobile marketing. The first stage, she said, is when marketers realize they need a mobile presence. This often results in the launch of a mobile website. Stage two is the move to a “mobile-first” mindset, in which marketing initiatives are designed assuming consumers are viewing them primarily on a mobile device, as opposed to the desktop. Mobile apps are typically developed at this point, too.

The third, and most mature, stage is when marketers make the shift from mobile to “mobility.”

This move from mobile to mobility is really about thinking less about mobile as a standalone and more about how mobile fits into the overall customer journey.”

Brian Wong, founder of Kiip, said the concept of mobile moments is a long-term strategy, agnostic of device and platform, that lets marketers focus on the core moments their product services… Marketing, in general, is moving to service and addressing needs, he added. “Real estate and impressions are becoming inadequate,” Wong said. “It comes down to the moments of need that we can find and address.”

Brands should strive for three types of mobile moments—owned, manufactured, and borrowed

“I see it going from mobile to mobility to connectivity, and connectivity happens when mobility starts occurring across multiple devices, multiple networks, and multiple sensors. You essentially start creating what many refer to as the mesh network,” Becker told CMO.com.

That will lead marketers to the “age of the connected individual.”

...it has become more and more targeted to getting that message out to specific audiences, down to specific segments, down to, now, specific individuals.

Becker said he expects marketers will start to close the gap between the upper funnel and lower-level paid and owned media advertising. In between, they will drop the idea of intelligent, individualized communication. And as they build up their own databases and capabilities to serve and engage individuals on their own terms, intelligent, individualized communication will come to fruition.

By 2020, the average individual will have 10 connected devices and probably 140 different sensors, all of which will be collecting data about the individual.

“That data will either be under the control of the marketer, or the market, or the individual themselves… that’s the next battleground for the marketer…

…the next stage of evolution is from mobile, to mobility, to connectivity, and the emergence of the connected marketer.

The opposite of this (kind of hilarious picture) is true...Business Insider reports on Mobile and Mobile App marketing.Starbucks has put significant effort into its mobile app, and that strategy has paid off in spades...The company plans to increase spending on mobile in 2016 after great success with its app in 2015, according to Bloomberg. By the end of last year, 21% of all transactions at Starbucks in the U.S. occurred through the mobile app. This has positioned the app as one of Starbucks' core business strategy.

The coffee giant debuted its app in 2011 and at the time, the company used the QR-code based app mostly as a loyalty card that gave rewards (such as a free drink) to customers who used it. But in the last few years, the app has grown to become a full experience through which users can order and pay. Starbucks also sends messages that have promotional offers within the app.

The success of this app shows how effective in-app messaging can increase a company's overall revenue. Recent data from Salesforce indicates that in-app marketing is starting to become a core strategy for many businesses.

In 2016, 54% of marketers said they used mobile apps for marketing, up from approximately 27% in 2014 for a year-over-year growth of 98%. An additional 20% said they intend to use apps for marketing within the next 12 months. Finally, 77% said they noted tangible ROI from mobile marketing, up almost 150% since 2015.

Starbucks also plans to begin implementing new mobile strategies targeting more purchases within the app. These strategies include recommendations of more purchases to customers in a way similar to how Netflix recommends TV shows and movies to users based on their histories and tastes.

This approach could increase Starbucks customers' individual purchases by up to 50%, according to Crone data cited by Bloomberg.

See more on the Loopd Bluetooth "attendee communicator" demo and the panel I helped organize on Media and Mobile at: http://bit.ly/Invite_ConnectedThings2016Share this post at:http://bit.ly/MITEF_CT2016

While attending another great North Shore Technology Council (NSTC.org) presentation yesterday, I was inspired by a conversation with Brian Gravel about how important partnerships and community are to discovering your way to success with clients.Kendall Square, Silicon Valley, Silicon Alley, and more and more "Innovation Districts" and coworking communities around the world, have this culture of collaboration and partnership - a network of limitless resources and service providers that are compelled to help beyond their self-interest... make connections, fill needs, inspire, and instigate. These attributes are the at the core of the NSTC...They are in our nature.Here is a recent article about the North Shore innovation movement with InnoNorth.We are lucky to have this here in Boston's North Shore with the NSTC - a nonprofit business association with the mantra, "Come For The Networking, Stay For The Mission." All this is picking up with the convening of several organizations across with region through the North Shore Alliance. Very excited about these conversations! Individuals and all sizes of companies, that have ideas and needs, come to events and participate in our community for this entrepreneurial energy where innovation comes from applied invention. Yeah, kinda deep... let's discuss it over free coffee at the latest addition to our ecosystem of collaboration - the new Workbar in the Danvers Staples!

For details, data, and direction about earning multiple streams of income from your sideline (or fulltime) "gig economy" project, check out excerpts from the Solo Projectby the Knight Foundation.

An excellent example of NSTC's culture of collaboration is their new sponsor AND partner Gravoc. They hosted this event at their new offices and meeting space. The very serious subject about Security and CyberCrime was presented with fun and function by Nate Gravel. His advice in 3 points...

Gravoc has the right attitude and offerings. On a tour of their office, I learned that they solve business problems AND supports all the related tech systems to keep updated. This includes the hard stuff like CyberSecurity, eCommerce, and understanding their client (partner!) well enough to tell their best story and communicate across the evolving media of Web, Mobile, and events. As Dave Gravel says, they are "a 360 degree company."Our community will be having many more events at their new presentation room right off 95/128. To participate in this culture of collaboration, join the NSTC mailing list ...You are always Welcome.

Launch a national conversation about the role that government, universities, corporations, and the social sector can play to help individuals and communities make the transition from the traditional, employer based economy to the emerging one in which individuals design their own work, create their own jobs, and take responsibility for their own financial and professional security. Thank you KnightFoundation.org